Hi there!
My name is Madi Madland and I am 23 years old, a cat lover, a wife, a sister, a daughter/granddaughter, and year 2 teacher candidate at Thompson Rivers University!
I was born in Abbotsford BC and then when I was 10 years old, we moved to Okotoks AB, which is a small-town south of Calgary. I lived there until a graduated high school and then I decided to move to Kamloops BC to live with my grandparents to go to school at Thompson Rivers University. I chose TRU because they have smaller class sizes and it was a chance for me to live away from home. My family followed me here after three year and now we all live in Kamloops. I also met my husband in my first year of university here in Kamloops, so Kamloops has a special place in my heart.
I have recently graduated from TRU with my Bachelor of Arts, with a major in History and a minor in Psychology with a focus in lifespan development psychology. When I first started my undergrad, I did not think I would end up having history as a major, I thought I would major in English, but after first year English I decided that was not for me. Psychology always intrigued me, but I never knew there was so much to learn about development. This is what peaked my interest in psychology and I think it has helped me become a better teacher candidate and helped me understand children a bit more.
I work at Summit Drive Baptist Church in Kamloops. I have worked here for the last 5 years and I help run the Children’s programming, such as Sunday school every week and our big Vacation Bible School in the summer. I do a lot of administrative work that goes along with having volunteers who help run programs as well as all the work that goes into setting up events and making sure they run effectively and properly. Our Vacation Bible School can have up to 180 kids and 40 volunteers, so it is quite a bit of work to make that event run smoothly!
I married my husband on June 23th, 2018 in the backyard of his grandparents’ house in Clearwater BC. We went to Disneyland to celebrate our honeymoon as that is one of our favourite places in the world!
I grew up in a family of 5 kids and I am the only one who is not adopted. I have two sisters who were adopted from Haiti, and a brother and sister adopted from the Foster Care system. Three of my siblings have various disabilities and that has definitely shaped me into the person I am today.
I believe that my desire to be a teacher has come from all my siblings and watching their school experiences and how different they all were and if they were positive or negative. Every child matters in a school regardless of their abilities or race, and every child should have a chance to learn and grow in their knowledge and experiences.